Virtual World Sportscar Historic Championship – 1985

Historic sportscar endurance racing returns for another year-long series.  Using the Storm Gang Simulation (SGS) 1985 sports car mod – WSC 1985 – the series will feature Group C C1 cars from the era, competing in multi-class racing across the historic World Sportscar Championship calendar from 1985.

SGS‘s “Smart Balance of Performance™” ensures competitive racing while preserving individual car characteristics, affording drivers plenty of options while choosing a car that fits their driving style. Developed with broad support from the racing community and highly technical details from the real cars, this mod provides an unparalleled opportunity for close, competitive and fun historic racing.

VWSC will run a 12 race calendar across a variety of circuits in their historic formats (where available).  MNRL will run the same calendar in parallel on Tuesday nights (US ET) the same week, using shorter race lengths.

All races will be broadcasted on the Champion Motorsports YouTube with VWSC races featuring full commentary in partnership with JPBroadcasting

HISTORY

The 1980’s were full stride into the Group C era and by mid-decade, teams were desperately pushing to find ways to dethrone the emerging super power that was Porsche.  Lancia had the power but not the reliability while Jaguar was scratching their heads, searching for the 956’s Achille’s heal. Meanwhile, privateers and custom shops like March and Spice were finding great opportunities to rise above their rivals, launder some cash or possibly smuggle drugs… One trademark of the 80’s sportscar scene was fuel efficiency. With petrol at a premium due to FIA guidelines (a car couldn’t run more than 500L per event), teams had to find ways to optimize aerodynamics through ground effects and reduced weight thanks to some aluminum and carbon fiber composites, among other, fancy materials. As popularity was rapidly growing, every city and every track wanted to feature these iconic cars of the era. Between IMSA, WEC (yes, it was temporarily the World Endurance Championship in the 80’s) and other regional series, these cars ran almost every circuit imaginable from permanent road courses to some intriguing street circuits that only ever existed for these cars.

THE CARS

VWSC will use the Storm Gang Simulation car mod WSC 1985.  This pack includes 5 C1 Group C cars.  All cars feature unique layouts and characteristics with each one developed and released for free by SGS.  In accordance with the rules, these cars can not have fuel added at pit stops.  They also produce a tremendous amount of downforce via their ground effects.  Cars available on the CMS discord server.

C1 Group C

• EMKA Aston Martin 84C
• Jaguar XJR-6
• Lancia LC2
• March 84G
• Porsche 956b

Paintable body templates are provided in the CMS Discord server

CALENDAR:

Google Calendar

CHAMPIONSHIPS

The rf2la app (password: cmsrocks) will record all sessions and standings

There will be 6 championships available for VWSC 1985 (only Driver Class championships for MNRL):

Team’s Championship C1 Pro

Team’s Championship C1 Pro-Am

Team’s Championship C1 Am

—————————————–

Driver’s Championship C1 Pro

Driver’s Championship C1 Pro-Am

Driver’s Championship C1 Am

Points

20-15-12-10-8-6-4-3-2-1-0.5 point for each car placing beyond 10th in class

Additional requirements for points:

  • Drivers must complete 50% race distance
  • Drivers must not DNF (VWSC)

Driver Classes

  • Class placement will be determined by CMS stratification which is hosted and maintained in the CMS Discord.  Driver classes are established as such:
    • Platinum and Gold = Pro
    • Silver and Bronze = Pro-Am
    • Copper = Am
  • Drivers may request to race in a higher driver class but must commit to that class for the entire year.
  • Unrated drivers (Black designation) (<5 races in VWSC) are required to perform 1 full fuel stint on CMS servers.
  • New drivers (0 races in VWSC) are required to perform 1 full fuel stint on CMS servers and join as Pro class driver.
  • Admins retain the right to reassign a driver up or down a car category if they are not correctly placed based on special circumstances or drivers’ performance.
  • Drivers may change their vehicle once per season without losing points. Subsequent changes will reset points to 0 as of the event start with the new vehicle. Drivers will be considered to have changed their vehicle if they qualify and race with said vehicle. Changing back to a previously used car still counts as a car change (e.g. racing with a Lamborghini then a 2nd race with a Ferrari, then back to Lamborghini for a 3rd race would be 2 car changes).
  • Within the last 3 rounds, all new drivers, drivers who nullify their points by switching cars more than once will have their Race results will unclassified after the event to avoid interference with full season championships (competition fairness). However, the original finishing positions will be utilized for stratification and future seasons consideration.
  • There will be 1 ‘drop’ race for each driver over the course of the year.

Teams (Not Applicable for MNRL)

  • Teams must register in the Discord server and be approved by the series admin before scoring points as a team
  • Teams will be formed by 2-3 drivers. No substitute drivers will be allowed, however a driver may be replaced if they are unable to complete remaining races in the season. Only the top 2 points scoring drivers will be counted towards the team total after each event.
  • Team drivers must be of the same driver class (not necessarily driver rank). If a driver is reclassified at any point during the season, the team may assign a new, class-appropriate driver to the team prior to the next race or arrange to have other team drivers move up in class so as not to split up the team (driver classes can not move down unless admin approved). Previously scored team points by any exiting driver will be retained.
  • Teams that have fewer than 2 drivers participating for 3 races in a row will be disbanded. Teams with an entry credit are exempt from this rule.
  • Teams must use the same make/model car among its drivers. If a team changes vehicles, all drivers must change to the new vehicle.

CUSTOM LIVERIES AND NUMBERS

The following applies to VWSC entries only.  MNRL will utilize loose skins without required adherence to the VWSC Number list or livery requirements (except in the case of meeting general CMS Standards – e.g. do not feature harmful language or acts).

Entry Credit (VWSC)

  • Only drivers who have purchased an entry credit will be eligible to submit their livery into the mod pack. All other drivers will have to apply a loose skin (alt livery) to a default car appropriate to their class (for proper scoring).
  • Entry credits earn 2 livery submissions per driver.  All other updates must be applied via loose skins.
  • All submissions must be made by 5 April 23:59 GMT.
  • ALL drivers/teams must post a screenshot of their custom skins in #liveries-and-info VWSC channel for admin approval prior to submission or use during an official event. Drivers using unapproved skins may be asked to change it, run a default or possibly exit the event.
  • Drivers submitting for mod inclusion must also fill in the submission form in #links-downloads-vwsc and upload their file. Note there is an alternate link if you don’t have a Google account. Skins will not be accepted outside of these forms.
  • The use of the VWSC numbering system is required for custom liveries and drivers not yet holding a VWSC racing number may choose from those available, as listed in the Discord. Instructions on how to choose either a permanent or series-specific number are provided on the individual pages.
  • When submitting liveries for the team, the driver submitting will need to provide the email and name used with the donation (this is not made public or shared).  The submitting driver can do so for the entire team as a single zipped file (preferred) or each member can do so separately.

Other Livery Requirements (VWSC and MNRL)

  • Templates are provided in the CMS Discord server
  • CMS window banners are required.  Car numbers can be displayed however the driver wishes but must 1) be visible and legible on the front/left/right sides of the car and 2) comply with the class color (Black=Pro, Red=Pro-Am, Blue=Am).  Liveries not containing required elements or containing inappropriate materials will be rejected and drivers may be subject to penalties and/or disciplinary actions.

RACE REGISTRATION

Entry Credit (VWSC only)

VWSC will institute an optional $20 USD reservation payment (entry credit). This credit gives drivers priority for all points rounds of the season and two livery submissions into the mod pack.

  • The entry credit will cover up to 3 drivers of a team or a single driver – Two liveries per driver
  • Entry credit will be reimbursed to drivers or a team that completes 50% of the race season.
  • Teams with an entry credit will not be disbanded after 3 no-show races in a row.
  • Drivers with an entry credit will receive higher priority in race registration (see below)
  • Any donations to SGS will be counted towards the entry credit.  Donations can be made at initial mod download or here
  • Drivers who waive the entry credit are eligible to race but must run custom liveries as loose (alt) skins.

Attendance Sheet (VWSC only)

  • The Attendance Sheet is for people to reserve their position to race and CLOSES 72 Hours prior to the race.
  • If signed-up entries haven’t fulfilled their minimum required driving practice time, etc. will be dropped from the Entry List.
  • Drivers that sign-up, but don’t show will be dropped from Seniority status (you can remove yourself from sign-up sheet to prevent this occurrence
  • Registration is capped to 55 drivers.  Drivers will be registered with the following priority:
  1. Race Registered Team Drivers with an entry credit, by seniority
  2. Race Registered Single Drivers with an entry credit, by seniority
  3. Team Drivers with an entry credit, by seniority
  4. Single Drivers with an entry credit, by seniority
  5. Race Registered Team Drivers, by seniority
  6. Race Registered Single Drivers, by seniority
  7. 2024 Teams Drivers, by seniority
  8. 2024 Single Drivers, by seniority
  9. Teams Drivers, by seniority
  10. Single Drivers, by seniority
  • If there are fewer than 55 registrations, then those on the Attendance Sheet are GUARANTEED to race. If there are late comers on race day and there is capacity they may still race provided they have fulfilled their driving duties.
  • If there are more than 55 registrations, additional signups will be placed on reserve and allotted slots as they become available per the priority list.
  • Drivers not on the Attendance Sheet may be allowed to participate if there are available slots and will be prioritized based on the priority list.
  • Admins may adjust the cap and registrations as necessary to ensure the race event can continue as planned.

RACE EVENTS

VWSC Event Schedule (note UTC times may be 1 hour earlier during Daylight Saving Time – See the Discord for details)

11:30AM US ET|16:30 UTC – Server Reboot/Practice (2 hours)

01:30PM US ET|18:30 UTC – Qualifying (20 mins: 10 mins LMGT3|10 mins Hypercar)

01:50PM US ET|18:50 UTC – Drivers’ briefing/Warmup (10 mins)

02:00PM US ET|19:00 UTC – Race

MNRL Event Schedule (note UTC times may be 1 hour earlier during Daylight Saving Time – See the Discord for details)

7:30PM US ET Tue|00:30 UTC Wed – Server Reboot/Practice (2 hours)

8:55PM US ET Tue|01:55 UTC Wed – Drivers’ briefing (5 mins)

9:00PM US ET Tue|02:00 UTC Wed – Qualifying/Warmup (20 mins Q)

9:30PM US ET Tue|02:30 UTC Wed – Race

NOTE: The grid is LOCKED at 10 minutes to Qualifying.  Contact the Race Director/Admins with any questions/issues/concerns.

Server Settings

THERE IS ONLY ONE EVENT SERVER AND NO SERVER RESTARTS outside of critical server technical issues or large incidents prior to the green!

Server name: “CMS VWSC [track name]” – Password will be added and provided on race day in the CMS Discord
Build: Latest stable build of rFactor 2
Damage: 75% VWSC / 50% MNRL
Mechanical Failures: Normal
Crash Recovery: OFF
Driving View: Open
Aids: Auto Clutch, Blip, Lift are the only rF2 global aids available (onboard aids/controls available per vehicle, eg TC and ABS)
Fuel: 1x
Tires: 1x VWSC / 2x MNRL
Weather: Live
Race Start: Manual roll-off from grid into double-file formation lap.  Drivers must maintain safe and reasonable speeds and clearances before crossing the S/F line and beginning their race!  MNRL – Pole Sitter will call green flag for the field when within 10 car lengths of the S/F line.
Orange Zone (OZ):  There will be an OZ designated for each race in the driver notes that will be posted to the race brief and noted again in the pre-race verbal driver’s brief.

Race Communications

  • We will use the CMS Discord VWSC voice channel for race communications.  Drivers will receive 3 notifications before being removed by race control during events.  Drivers may return to the server once they have joined voice.
  • The voice channel is only required to monitor race control during the event. You do not need a microphone if you do not want to speak.
  • If you have a microphone, please use “push to talk” or set voice activation properly to avoid disruptive background noises. Don’t be “that driver”.
  • Conversation during practice and warm up is encouraged.  For qualification and race, ONLY brief communication for session-critical information (eg “car stopped in turn 1”).  One sentence then quiet is requested. NO TEXT CHAT ALLOWED during qualification & race.  This is reserved for ADMIN USE ONLY.

Abusive and/or profane language in any form or channel may lead to that driver receiving a sanction up to and including a ban from CMS.

Connection Notes

  • Drivers are strongly advised to reboot their computer just before joining the server on race day.
  • Drivers must also maintain a reasonable connection and appropriate ping rate which does not impact race conditions or else they may be asked to leave the server.

COMPETITION RULES AND STEWARDING

  • This series will conform to the CMS General Competition Rules that may be found on the CMS Discord Server.
  • All drivers are expected to know the GCR and shall be required to abide by them.
  • Additional event-specific instructions will be provided via a drivers race brief posted in the CMS Discord and reviewed verbally by the director prior to the race session.
  • Pit road entry and/or exit white lines may not be crossed while occupied by a pitting vehicle unless specifically permitted in a pre-race brief. Otherwise, it is permissible for tires to step on the white line, but crossing the line with one tire completely will result in a post-race Incident Review Request and penalty.
  • There are no live stewards. A post-race Incident Review Request may be submitted via the RRC Discord for adjudication with any resultant penalties to be served in the next race competed by the driver(s) at fault.
  • rFactor 2 system-assigned penalties during qualification and race sessions must be served. The Race Director will only clear penalties/DQ during practice/warm-up.

CONTACTS

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact one of the series admins in the CMS Discord:

  • Ross Smith – Chief Chapter Administrator
  • Karl
  • Matthew Overton

Good luck and see you on track!